São Paulo beat Atlético Mineiro 2:0 in the Brazilian Serie A's 26th round at Morumbi on Friday evening. The hosts took three points from a match that only opened up after the break, with two goals in quick succession deciding the outcome. Both sides had been in mixed form coming into this fixture, and the result shifts the gap between them in the table.
The first half offered little to write home about. A goal by Gustavo Santana was cancelled by VAR in the 35th minute, and neither side could break the deadlock before the interval. Atlético Mineiro made three changes at half-time, bringing on Kevin Castaño, Reinier Jesus Carvalho and Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte. The visitors looked to be settling into a defensive shape, and São Paulo never quite carved them open.
The breakthrough came 17 minutes after the restart. Luciano found space in the box and finished clinically in the 67th minute, and Iago Amaral Borduchi doubled the lead two minutes later. By then the match had settled into a rhythm that suited the home side. Atlético Mineiro made another three substitutions in quick succession, but the visitors never got going in attack and saw it out without adding to their tally.
and here's the thing — we called for a home win before kickoff with 42 per cent confidence. It came off because São Paulo had the better structure in midfield and the visitors struggled to create clear chances. Atlético Mineiro managed only two shots inside the penalty area all game, and that tells you everything about how the match was played.
The statistics back up what happened on the pitch. São Paulo held 52 per cent possession and registered 17 shots inside the penalty area compared to two for the visitors. They created one big chance each, but the difference was clear: five shots on target against none for Atlético Mineiro. Expected goals came in at 1.78 for the hosts and 0.65 for the visitors, and the final score reflected that gap in quality.
The result leaves São Paulo in 10th place with 33 points from 25 games, while Atlético Mineiro remain eighth on 36 points. The gap between them is now three points, and the visitors have one game in hand. São Paulo have won two of their last five league matches, while Atlético Mineiro are unbeaten in their last three, but tonight's performance suggests the visitors found no answer to the home side's approach.
